Letters to the Editor for Friday, July 25

Take the initiative and sign it

Do you want to enhance the integrity of our elections and help ensure that only USA citizens are registered to vote in Washington? We have a good chance to do that by signing the new petition, IL26-126: “AN ACT Relating to requiring verification of citizenship for voter registration.” If it then passes into law, each county auditor will be required to verify the citizenship of every registered voter in their county.

That’s the only issue addressed by this Initiative: verifying the citizenship of every registered voter. Do not be distracted or deceived by deniers that it includes anything else about other voting issues. Let’s just fix this one big flaw.

Many of us have serious concerns about the integrity of our current “motor-voter” registration system while also allowing “undocumented immigrants” to obtain a driver’s license. As Sue Lani Madsen wrote in an S-R op-ed, “Clean voter registration rolls is bipartisan concern” (5/26/22): “Most voter registration occurs at the Department of Licensing through the Motor-Voter law. Retired DOL employee Patti Johnson came forward in August 2021 as a whistleblower, speaking to a panel of state representatives including Rep. Rob Chase, R-Spokane. Johnson said DOL employees were directed to register people who they knew weren’t eligible to vote, even against their explicit instructions.”

Let’s face it, basic crime prevention means “locking the door” and removing the temptation. And it’s basic common sense to “trust but verify.” Please sign the petition.

Bob Strong

Spokane

Swivel me this

I about choked on my Cheerios the other morning while listening to, ironically, Spokane Public Radio. Rep. Mike Baumgartner, not yet well-versed in the dark arts of congressional politics, came on air to explain why he recently voted to defund Public Radio.

He said Public Radio had a liberal slant and that it needed more diversity.

Yet, all this while MAGA has been attacking DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) at places like Harvard and the military.

MAGA is apparently against diversity – except when they’re not.

It depends on whose ox is being gored.

Jim Kane

Reardan